It's Moving Day!

As I read today's date aloud, I realize that on this day 14 years ago I made a big move. I moved into my very first apartment. It was a day full of emotion, anticipation and boxes and...tequila. Today I find myself moving once again...only this time it's without boxes...or even the tequila (okay, maybe a glass of red wine), but still a little anticipation and emotion. My blog is moving. As of today, my blog will reside at www.heatherclaypool.com.

Blogger has been a great place for me for the last three years, but just like that day 14 years ago I feel like I'm ready for a change. So, click on over and even bookmark the new site if you like! There's loads of great stuff coming in the near future... A Facebook Page, new and improved galleries... Come visit...and then stay a while!

I'll look for you there!

Home

For the majority of my life, I have called Columbus home. Sure my time here has been peppered with little moves to Florida, Mississippi, Michigan, Kentucky and Georgia...but I always come back home to Columbus. I realized the other day that I've seldom actually seen our city. We drive through it a lot...usually on our way somewhere else, but I couldn't remember the last time I parked the car and just took a walk through downtown. So yesterday I did just that! Around lunch time I packed up my camera, a few lenses and memory cards and went on safari! I looked for things downtown that I had never noticed before, and was I ever surprised by what I didn't know!

These rows of pinwheels were on display in the front lawn of COSI

Just a few blocks away..

On a bumper of a car parked at North Bank Park...

For this set, I wanted to get a perspective on the city that was more than just "looking up". When I parked in a garage next to the Leveque tower, I found the perspective I was looking for...

I fell in love with the juxtaposition of the old against the new here...

A Columbus landmark...

Again, I just adore these old buildings downtown. Years ago, the people that built this building probably thought it was pretty big... wonder what they would think if they could see the skyscrapers of today...

It looked like one building was literally coming out of another...

One of the things I was amazed I had never known about our city was the war memorial. On the Statehouse lawn there are two walls with inscriptions of letters written home by soldiers and sailors from various wars... Some of them very nearly brought a tear to my eye...

But this one made me laugh a little...

"Why yes, I do shoot Canon..."

Statues in front of the Statehouse. The one on the right is William McKinley, but I wasn't able to find out who the two on the left were...

As I was headed back to my car, I spotted a man sitting on the Statehouse steps in a Union Soldiers uniform. That didn't quite go with the 21st century I thought we were in, so I asked him what it was all about. Turns out he was taking part in a sort of Civil War re-enactment surrounding the death of Abraham Lincoln. 145 years ago yesterday, President Abraham Lincoln's body was lying in state right here in our Statehouse. The entire statehouse was set up exactly as it had been on that day...complete with Mary Todd veiled in black wandering around the casket (a little creepy...but cool)!

Some views from the Old Post Office which I believe is now a Law Firm. I can remember going to the Ohio Theater and being terrified of this building! Now, I'm able to marvel at it's beauty...

I loved the "stair stepped" effect of this shot... along with the browns and blues...

Paul, one of "Lincoln's Guards"...

The rotunda inside the Statehouse... I still couldn't get over the fact that after spending essentially my entire life here I had never set foot inside the place!

McKinley looking out on progress...

Another fun view from a mirrored vestibule on Broad St. looking back at the Statehouse...

Fire escape on the side of the LeVeque Tower...

So this is my backyard, and all of these places have been here just waiting to be discovered. No doubt there are more, but this was a really fun start!

/div>

The Reason I'm Here...

My daughter had a friend over to play the other day. That's not out of the ordinary, but what caught me off guard was hearing her tell her friend as they went down the stairway, the names of all the ancestors and relatives we have photos of on our wall. "That's my Aunt and Uncle", she said. "That's me when I was a baby, and that's my Great-Great-Grandma and Grandpa". And it hit me that though they had never met (I had never even met her), she felt connected to her because of that photograph! The fact that we have a photo of her on her wedding day proudly displayed in our home is a testament to the tremendous power of photography.

I remember when my grandmother found that photograph in an old trunk in her attic. Our whole family sat in awe as we unearthed treasure after treasure from the time capsule! We found sketches Grandma had done when she was in art school, pieces of her wedding gown (sadly, the moths had gotten to it before we did), and then the photograph. There was my grandmother's mother on her wedding day circa 1915 with her new husband seated beside her. She wore a simple, cotton gown with white gloves and a cap veil. Like I said...I had never met her, but I saw her features in my own face and I felt an instant connection to my family's history just like my daughter does now.

When we think about weddings, we think about things like schedules, locations, menus, flowers and yes, we think about photos too. But when we think about the photos...we don't always think about the fact that those photos will be seen by future generations. Someday in the distant future, a little girl may see her features in the photo of a bride I photographed last weekend. A woman she never knew, but will feel a connection with nonetheless. And that...is the reason I'm here.





The photos in this collage are more photos from my family's collection. Clockwise from the top left: An unknown family member from around the time of the First World War (notice his uniform..he was in the Kaiser's Army). My Aunt Marty (with her twin sister, Bertie as her Maid of Honor), The photo described in the post, my Great-Grandmother, Cecelia and my Great-Grandfather, Julius). Next, one of my favorites...my Great Aunt Albina and Uncle Walter and their Roaring 20's wedding! My husband's parents (who will celebrate their 45th anniversary this year). And the last one, yeah, I know it's not a wedding photo...but it's one I adore! That's my grandmother in front of the flag at a 4th of July picnic sometime in the early 20's.

Eddie's First Communion...

Last Sunday we celebrated a milestone in our son's life...his first communion.

For me, the mere mention of first communion always conjures up images from one of my favorite books, Angela's Ashes. If you want a good laugh, you have to read this excerpt from the book depicting little Frankie McCourt's first communion!

Anyway, on Sunday there was an "official" photographer taking portraits of all the children before things got started, but I wanted something different...a more "real-life" approach. Here's what I came up with...

Here he is offering us the sign of peace now!

Of course, Little Miss Emma had to get a pic too!

The Workshop!

This weekend was the weekend Kevin Keefer had been planning since about right after Christmas. Months of planning, phone calls to vendors, decisions on content, location, models...it all came together in one amazing workshop!

The event was held at the beautiful Pinnacle Golf Club right here in Grove City. The day started out with a presentation by Kevin and concluded with a model shoot. The whole day was a lot of work, but it was so much fun! Here are few photos to highlight the event!

Just as a side note... I don't think I've ever had a more difficult time deciding which images to post on my blog from a given event. Our models, Kira and Jason were phenomenal. I knew they would be great, after all Kira's a friend of mine and I knew her personality would shine through. But what I didn't know (and even they didn't know when they agreed to model for us months ago) was that they would get engaged just one week before the workshop! That made the photos even more amazing, as we were able to capture real emotions and real expressions from them!


Here's Kevin getting the day started talking about how each photographer needs to discover who they are and why they shoot...





The gowns for the shoot were graciously donated by Bella Laccio bridal in uptown Westerville...This shop has it all! Private fitting parties, champagne...everything that makes a once-in-a-lifetime experience even more unforgettable!

Kira's hair was done by the amazing Jackie Foltz, owner of Studio 31 in Marysville...

I took a bit of a risk during the model shoot and shot in some ways that I typically haven't in the past... Like with reflections...

Through participants arms...

And because the gowns were sample gowns (and not altered specifically for Kira), we had to use clips. Most of the time I cropped them out in-camera, but for this one...I wanted to show a little behind-the-scenes and that meant showing the clips and all!!

Yeah, there's not a darn thing in focus with this one (except for maybe the lens itself). I had changed a setting on my camera, aimed and fired without even looking in the viewfinder... I thought it was funny...though Courtney may hate me for it!

Again...a bit more of a risk for me. A not-so-typical groom's portrait...

You've got to love a man who can hold his lady's flowers. The bouquet and boutonniere were provided by Petals and Leaves in Powell...exquisite!!!

This was a favorite!

I loved the shadows and the expression in Kira's eyes here...

Another behind-the-scenes shot...This is what a workshop is all about! Each participant got their turn at posing our couple...

And I saved my personal favorite for last! Something about the reflective glass, the tree all in bloom and Kira's natural smile...It just says it all!

A big thank you goes out to all the vendors who helped with the day, to our gorgeous model couple, to Kevin for putting this workshop on, and to all the participants who came! Thanks for making this a fantastic day!